As I knelt before the Buddha and removed the Golden Hoop, that very moment, I finally remembered who I truly am. "Monkey, you've lost. I granted you another chance, yet there you are, crawling at my feet. When you wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, you claimed I deceived you, so I only suppressed you for five hundred years. And now, aren't you the same? Kneeling before me like a dog. Oh, but not even, for the you of today has even lost the Jingu Bang—hahaha."
"So what? Without my staff, old Sun still has his fists. You're nothing more than a mere Doppelganger, I fear nothing. So what if I am kneeling before you now? What if you suppress me for another five hundred years? Once I slay my three corpses, it will be time for you, Tathagata, to go up in smoke. Tathagata, you cannot kill me. From the moment I was born, I have been one with the world. Unless you destroy everything. Otherwise, sooner or later, I will topple you with my stick."
"Golden Cicada, this is your eldest disciple, Sun Wukong? Merely a Stone Monkey, yet dares to be so presumptuous at the Great Thunderclap Monastery? It seems your journey to the Western Paradise has not made you any wiser."
Without waiting for Golden Cicada to say anything, Tathagata intoned a chant and continued, "Monkey, in reality, you now have only two paths before you. Either accept my decree and become the Victorious Fighting Buddha of the Western Paradise, and I will return your Ruyi Jingu Bang, or your one hundred thousand monkeys and monkey grandchildren from Flower Fruit Mountain come to the Western Paradise. I believe you know what to do."
A towering rage extinguished in an instant. Indeed, Sun Wukong feared neither heaven nor earth, but he still had Flower Fruit Mountain, and although those one hundred thousand monkeys and monkey grandchildren had their names marked in the Book of Life and Death and became immortal and indestructible beings, Tathagata could still convert them. Turning them into thoughtless puppets of Buddhism was still within his reach.
Moreover, Flower Fruit Mountain was no longer as powerful as it was during the time when the allied forces of the Demon Clan caused chaos in the Heavenly Palace; those Demon Kings with some abilities either perished or were taken in by Bodhisattvas and Immortals. Flower Fruit Mountain now existed in name only.
"Alas, Amitabha Buddha." A sigh escaped from Golden Cicada's mouth, echoing throughout the entire Spiritual Mountain.
Every time the red sun rose, at the peak of the tallest mountain in Spiritual Mountain, there would always be a figure staring silently at the dazzling morning glow.
Every time the full moon was high, on the tallest tower of Spiritual Mountain, there would always be a silhouette quietly gazing at the moon within reach.
Every time the wind and rain came together, in the quietest corner of Spiritual Mountain, there would always be a figure looking at the torrential downpour with closed eyes, deep in thought.
Every time the monks chanted scriptures, every time the common people prayed, every time Tathagata preached the Dharma, there was always one person with slightly furrowed brows.
And then there was the Golden Body Arhat who, since being decreed, diligently fulfilled his duties, as if everyone had forgotten him.
Buddha, Buddha, Buddha, what is a Buddha? And why Buddha? Is it to save all sentient beings in the world? Is it to rescue the suffering and the distressed? Is it for the happiness of all living creatures? Or, is it merely to ensure the supreme status of Tathagata Buddha?
Otherwise, why is it that once the Demons achieve some cultivation, they are either taken in by Bodhisattva Arhats as mounts or by various Immortals as their mounts? And those who do not submit are annihilated! If they can't be destroyed or refuse to become mounts, they end up like Sun Wukong, becoming a Buddha, serving as an Emissary Arhat.
In the end, be it the Heavenly Palace or the Spiritual Mountain, they will never allow the existence of those beyond their control.
But this time, they finally made a mistake. You suppressed me for five hundred years, and I am not resentful; without those five hundred years, old Sun wouldn't have shed that rashness and arrogance. Believing that no one in the world could stand against old Sun, the Heavenly Palace was full of cowards who only made me more contemptuous. Little did I know, 'the taller the tree, the harder the wind will blow'. Such was I, bound to suffer a great loss eventually.
However, over these five hundred years, I have pondered day and night—why was it I, Old Sun, who was suppressed under the mountain and not the Tathagata? Why is the Jade Emperor still the Jade Emperor, while I, Old Sun, am no longer the Great Sage Equalling Heaven?
Ultimately, the Great Sage Equalling Heaven is a loser, a complete and total failure. Not only was I pressed under the Five Elements Mountain, but I couldn't even protect those monkeys and monkey grandchildren of mine.
So, five hundred years later, I learned to be patient. I knew that with just my own power, I could accomplish nothing. Heaven is too vast. Spiritual Mountain is also too grand, grand enough to destroy me with a flip of the hand. Thus, I accompanied Tang Monk to journey to the Western Paradise for scriptures, thus I pretended to greatly diminish my magic power, thus I diligently and wholeheartedly traveled westward. One hundred and eight thousand miles, it's merely a tumble away. Even if I were to walk, it would only take a few decades at most. None of these matter as long as you let me out.
I said, I am not resentful of Tathagata for suppressing me; what I'm resentful of is that Tathagata actually sneaked three thousand Buddhas onto Five Elements Mountain to recite scriptures day and night, attempting to convert me, to make me take refuge. Take refuge? Pah.
Actually, looking back carefully now, this poor farce was full of holes from the start. It's just that I, Old Sun, was ultimately too new to the world. A mere few hundred years, neither my cunning nor my schemes were anywhere near enough, hence I ended up in such a wretched state.
The deception started from the moment Tathagata and I had our bet.
People say that monks do not speak lies, which means monks do not deceive others. But what about the Tathagata, the Progenitor of Buddhism? First, he bet with me, saying that if I could not fly out of his palm, then I would lose, and I would go back to the Lower Realm to remain a demon and come back to discuss after another few hundred years of cultivation. But what was the result? I admit that I lost, but in the moment I conceded, Tathagata, without another word, pressed down on me. Was this letting me return to the Lower Realm to be a demon? Was this letting me continue my cultivation?
Let's talk about that bet then. Not fly out of his palm? If I, Old Sun, had used all my strength to fly yet still found myself in his palm, I would have accepted my defeat willingly. But what did Tathagata do? He transformed his palm into a sky-supporting pillar, tricking me into believing I'd flown to the ends of the earth with nowhere left to go, only to turn back. Is this not deceit?
However, I've already come to know the true face of those in Western Paradise. So is the Tathagata, so is Bodhisattva Guanyin, that so-called embodiment of great compassion and mercy!
Later on, no one knew of the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, Sun Wukong anymore. All that remained was the title "Victorious Fighting Buddha." It was as if the Heaven-Supporting Giant Ape, who once roamed unchecked between heaven and earth, had dissipated into the cosmos. The Great Sage Equalling Heaven, who once commanded the armies of myriad demons in the Three Realms, was now a Buddha under Tathagata's seat. And the once formidable Seven Saints of the Demon Clan had scattered far and wide, their fates unknown.
Tianpeng Marshal, who once secretly burst the Milky Way open to allow the defeated allied demon forces to escape, now became a silly pig demon, although Tathagata had ordained him as Happy Buddha.
Juanlian, who once opened the gates of the Lingxiao Palace for the Great Sage, was cast down to the mortal world by the Heavenly Mother and destined to live only as a demon for smashing the crystal goblet. Although Tathagata crowned him as the Golden Body Arhat, it did nothing to dispel the Demon Qi within Sandy.
It seemed like everything had come to an end, and there were no longer any so-called demons in the world.
Yet, nobody knew that this monkey had already eliminated one of his corporal forms, one step closer to the Great Dao.
Tathagata duped me, suppressing me under Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years. Guanyin duped me, tricking me into wearing the Tightening Spell, tormenting me to a point where life was worse than death. However, I endured it all.
Many people don't know, do they? That Golden Hoop wasn't so simple. Oh, Guanyin, when you were still the merciful Daoist master, your methods were nowhere near this severe. Let's talk about this Golden Hoop then. Everyone knows that every time my master recites the Tightening Spell, I get a headache. But who knows why I get a headache? It's because every time the master recites the Tightening Spell, the Golden Hoop splits off a wisp of Tathagata's Divine Sense to invade my spirit sea, attempting to devour my Spiritual Essence. Otherwise, how could a mere Golden Hoop ever subdue my Vajra Indestructible Body?